A/N Theres a point I hit in editing where I'm just sick of everything and begin to half ass everything, and I've just reached that point, so I'm sorry from here on out

It didn't take much to convince Tyler to accompany to the Bradford party, though James had a suspicion his friends agreement had to do more with a certain Bradford boy and not James's own concerns. He didn't really care. As long as Tyler would be by his side for the majority of the night— because where else would he go when he wasn't with Pierce— James couldn't care less what the boy's reasons for coming were.

"So what you're saying is that you've been in the Bradford's house before?" Ty asked from the driver's seat and James turned to look at him.

They were both wearing suits for the occasion, and Tyler's was a steel grey that made his eyes look very green. The only thing off about him were the bags under his eyes, indicating that he hadn't slept well the night before. Overall, Ty looked good, probably for Pierce's sake, though Ty had flat out rejected that notion the second James had mentioned it.

"Well I'm dating a Bradford," James reminded, reaching up to absently straighten the burgundy tie Kalen had bought him for the occasion.

His boyfriend has been able to sense James's nerves over spending an evening with the Bradford's extended relatives, and after a conversation in which Kalen pointed out you're probably not going to need to talk to the majority of them anyways, it had come forth that James was mostly worried about the first impression he made. Kalen's solution was to buy him a tie.

It didn't really help his nerves, but when he thought about it, it made him feel warm inside, and that was something.

"You're secretly dating a Bradford," Tyler corrected, turning on his blinker before James gave him the instruction to. Clearly he already knew the way. "Secretly doing things with the Bradford's doesn't get you into their super cool house. I would know".

"That's different," James protested, checking his phone in his lap. There was a text from Kalen. "You're secretly fucking one of the Bradford's. I'm just secretly dating one".

From: Kal

On your way? No rush

James quickly responded to him before slipping his phone back in his pocket, not expecting a response. There were far more things for Kalen to worry about at the moment beside him. He was currently back to being one of his fathers seven trophies.

"You dating one will eventually lead to you fucking one though," Tyler pointed out. "I'm only doing one of those things".

"You're doing the non sentimental one. There's no reason for Pierce to bring you to his family home".

"I suppose so," Tyler agreed after a brief pause. They were nearing the house now and there were dozens of expensive cars lining the streets. "Wow. I think I'm actually embarrassed to park here".

James reached forward to affectionately pat the dashboard of Ty's car, which wasn't nearly as new as the two cars they ended up parking between. It was a ways away for the Bradford's front door, but James didn't mind. He hoped the walk helped him calm down.

Somehow, as always, Tyler picked up on this. "Why are you so nervous man? We're going to a party in a big ass mansion, there's gonna be lots of good food, and Kalen's going to be there".

"What if I embarrass myself in front of Kalen and his family," James worried, reaching up to adjust his tie again, only to be batted away by Tyler.

"James, between the two of us, I'm the embarrassing one. You have nothing to worry about, so take a deep breath and then forget about it. If you go in there looking all nervous and shit the Bradford's are gonna wonder why. Most people aren't nervous to go to a dinner party for their friend. Don't give them any reason to ask questions," Tyler advised, and James shot his friend a surprised look as they started up the Bradford's driveway. He had to remember that Tyler had been hiding something from the Bradford's for far longer than he had.

"Sorry," James mumbled, allowing himself one more shaky breath before they stopped at the front door. Tyler posed himself to knock and then looked back at James, who gave him his best smile to show he was composed.

But Ty didn't knock. Instead he just looked at James, expression suddenly troubled. "What?"

"Sometimes," Ty began, forcing his eyes away to look forward, fist tapping against the door, "You just look a lot like your brother".

When the door was opened for them, in response to Tyler's knock, James was still looking at his best friend in surprise. That's why when Pierce Bradford said, "what the fuck are you doing here?" Unkindly, James jumped, alarmed.

"I was invited," Ty said happily, grinning like the shit he was and shoving his hands in his pockets. He leaned back on his heels a bit. "Really, check the guest list or what ya call it. I'm on there".

James looked at Pierce then, taking in the way the other boy didn't even seem to see him past his best friend. A part of him sensed that the Bradford was faking his distaste in seeing Tyler.

"I didn't invite you," Pierce said, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion. "You do realize that right?"

Ty outright laughed, throwing his head back dramatically. "I haven't seen you in like a month," he reminded. "Of course I understand you didn't invite me. If you had invited me, I wouldn't be here".

"Still haven't really covered why you are here," Pierce pointed out.

"We were invited by Kalen," James cut in before Tyler's teasing could continue further. While it was interesting to observe, James wanted to get inside and see his boyfriend.

For the first time, Pierce's oddly colored eyes moved to James. It was silent for a moment as he looked him up and down, and then those eyes were moving back to look at Tyler. "This your best friend?"

"Uhh," Ty began, green eyes widening a fraction. Pierce's eyes narrowed, the blue one a little more than the gold one, and then he was looking back at James. This time, it was clear that his fury was real. "No".

"You're lying," Pierce accused without looking at Tyler. "You suck at that".

"Hey man, fuck you-"

"Kalen invited you?" Pierce asked, this time addressing James.

It was terrifying, having those hardened mismatched eyes on him while being pressured to answer a question that seemed like it could be detrimental. Now he understood Tyler's previous response. "Uhh".

There was a second in which nothing happened but then Pierce was grabbing James by the tie, neatly choking him as he pulled him inside and shut the door in Tyler's face. To his left, James could hear a bunch of voices, people mingling somewhere deeper in the house.

Pierce pulled him in the opposite direction, pushing him into what seemed like a very large coat closet and pinning him up against the wall. "What are you doing?" James asked quickly, his hands curled into fists at his sides. He would had attempted to push Pierce off of him, but the older man was far more muscled, and James perfered not to meet Kalen's family with a freshly broken nose.

"You stay the fuck away from my little brother, you hear me?" Pierce growled, making James eyes go incredibly wide. From what he gathered from Kalen, Piece was still unaware of their relationship. Unless Kalen had spilled the secret within the last couple of hours, and then neglected to tell him, there was no reason for the man to be acting this way. "I know who you are".

At that, James frowned. "You do?"

With a noise of annoyance, Pierce pulled James away from the wall for a second, only to slam him back into it. "Tyler's gay best friend". Oh right. James forgot that his best friend was a fucking idiot. "Why would my younger gay brother invite you to a family party?"

Once again, all James could think of saying was, "uhh".

"You stay the fuck away from him, you hear me?" Pierce growled, addressing him with the most threatening voice James had ever encountered. He swallowed heavily. "If I so much as see you breathe in Kalen's direction, I swear to god I will rip your-"

The door next to them banged open before Pierce could finish his threat— thank god— and Kalen stepped into the room, immediately spotting them with wide eyes. "Hey," he snapped, moving forward and pushing at his brother. "Get off of him".

"Kalen," Pierce warned, his hand knitting tighter in James's collar, but still Kalen pushed, clearly unafraid of his older brother. Still, his strength was no match, and James was only freed once Tyler jumped in to help, promptly pushing Pierce a few steps back and then standing between them, his eyes on the older boy, calculating.

Pierce seethed, unable to do anything but watch as Kalen moved in front of James and began running his hands over his shoulders and chest to straighten out his suit. "You alright?" he asked softly, peering up at him through his lashes. Without pause, James gave him the same smile he had shown Tyler on the porch, and Kalen sighed wistfully, his own lips curving up a bit. He turned away from him, facing Tyler and Pierce, who were bickering in low voices.

"What is wrong with you?" Kalen interjected, making the two arguing boys fall silent and look at him. It was clear he was addressing Pierce, so Tyler moved a step backwards out of the way, though James noted his friend still seemed tense, as if he was prepared to jump between them once more. "First you're rude to grandma and then you assault my guest–"

"Your boyfriend you mean," Pierce snapped, gaze shifting back to James again. In front of him, Kalen's shoulders tensed, and he glanced over his shoulder to look at James for a moment, eyes wide, asking him how the hell Pierce knew.

The name Tyler was on the tip of James's tongue, but he paused at the sight of his best friend nervously chewing his lip. As far as Kalen was concerned, there was no reason for Tyler to be talking to Pierce about things such as James's sexualty– actually, James didn't really understand the reason either, but he at least understood that they two boys spent enough alone time to discuss such personal things. If he told Kalen that Tyler had told Pierce he was gay, Kalen would possibly demand to know why and when Tyler would have shared such information, and James was still adimit that it wasn't his secret to spoil.

Recuperating quickly, he answered, "apparently Pierce found out that I like men as well".

At this, Kalen's eyebrows raised and he looked back at his brother, who was staring back at him, eyes narrowed. "So it's true then?" Pierce asked, gesturing at James, "this prick is your boyfriend".

James was fully expecting some denial from Kalen, so he was surprised when his boyfriend immediately said, "yeah," casually, as if he was answering a question as harmless as will it rain today. "So what if he's my boyfriend".

"You're not allowed to have one," Pierce protested, moving forward a bit, only to have Tyler's hand press into his chest and force him backwards. Fierce eyes moved to glare at the green eyed boy, but Tyler seemed at ease with the gaze, not even blinking.

"I'm allowed to do what I want, thank you," Kalen shot back fiercely, and for just a moment Pierce's hard expression shifted to one of surprise. James wondered if Kalen fought back against his older brothers much.

"Kalen," Pierce began, voice low. "You're not thinking about this. Not thinking about dad-"

"Dad doesn't know," Kalen interrupted, turing his face to look at the closed door. "No one knows, and it's going to stay that way".

Pierce's eyebrows shot up at the demand, and when he spoke next his voice held more surprise than anger. "Since when do you get to tell me what to do?"

"Since I finally have something important to me," Kalen responded easily and James felt his heart beat a little faster in his chest. He must have made a face because Tyler made an amused noise and rolled his eyes.

Pierce seemed unsure, a frown pulling at his lips and his eyes searching the two of them wearily, but when Kalen reached a hand back to grab James's fingers, the expression dissolved into something colder. "We'll be having a discussion about this later," the older Bradford claimed, reaching up a hand to straighten his suit before moving to the door without another glance at them.

Once he was gone, Kalen sighed, his shoulders dropping. He turned to James and pressed his forehead into his shoulder, but addressed Tyler. "Do you mind giving us a minute, Ty?" he asked with a small voice. Over Kalen's shoulder, James watched Tyler eye them for a minute before nodding and moving to follow Pierce out of the room. Kalen waited for the sound of the door to click before raising his head and connecting their mouths.

It was a quick kiss, but it still made James feel warm to the core. When they parted, he smiled sincerely and Kalen sighed. "I'm sorry about that".

"It's not your fault," James assured, bringing his hands to Kalen's hips and squeezing reassuringly. "Let's just hope that doesn't set the tone for the entire night". With a groan, Kalen closed his eyes. "How have you been doing?"

"It's just a lot," Kalen answered, opening his eyes and sliding his hands down from James's shoulders to flatten his suit again. "You look really good, you know?"

"It's the tie," James teased lightly and Kalen let off a soft laugh, gripping the tie and using it to pull James down to kiss him again. This kiss lasted longer, and Kalen pressed at his lips with an eager tongue. "Hey".

"Ugh," Kalen grumbled, releasing him and instead pressing his face into his chest. "Why don't you ever let me make bad choices?" James didn't provide a response to this, since it seemed fairly obvious. Instead, he just brushed a hand up and down Kalen's back, attempting to ease the tension he felt there. "Can't we just leave? This party is stupid anyway. Let's just go somewhere else".

"I'd agree if I thought that was something you were seriously suggesting," James responded, and Kalen groaned into his chest. "Okay, how about this. We do this whole party thing and you play the role of the seventh Bradford son, and then we go back to my house and watch movies for the rest of the night. How does that sound?"

Kalen was quiet for a minute, and then he finally relaxed completely into James, melting into his chest. "That sounds absolutely wonderful".

***

Despite having invited Tyler to avoid this, James found himself sitting alone in the Bradford's living room, his eyes following Kalen around. Every couple of minutes he forced himself to look away and distract himself with one of the other Bradford sons, hoping that it made it less obvious to anyone watching how much he cared about the youngest.

Tyler, and unsurprisingly, Pierce were nowhere to be found, having disappeared together after leaving Kalen and him behind in the coat closet. A part of him was happy for his friend, but a larger part of him was annoyed with the outcome. Sitting there by himself wasn't exactly how he had been hoping his night would go, and he feared some of Kalen's family members would begin asking questions amongst themselves such as: who is that strange boy on the couch?

He could feel eyes on him then, and he slid his gaze from Kalen, searching. For a minute, he failed to find anyone who would meet his eyes, though multiple people looked away quickly. It was only when his gaze finally slid over to Michael did a pair of blue eyes look back at him.

Michael was probably the person he had been watching the second most throughout the night, not because he was interested in the boy in the way he feared Mike was interested in him, but because attached to the older boy's hip was a very pretty blonde girl wearing a tight maroon dress. In the brief period of time that James got to spend with Kalen, it had been revealed that this was Mike's girlfriend. James had tried not to show the surprise on his face— because he was pretty sure he had a good reason as to why Mike wouldn't have a girlfriend— but he must have failed because Kalen had looked at him with raised eyebrows and asked him what was wrong with that.

"She's pretty," James had offered and Kalen's lips pulled down a bit.

"She is?"

"Well, objectively". And then Kalen had been pulled away by a handful of cousins, leaving James behind.

Mike's eyes stared into his for a moment before the older man raised his eyebrows, a silent way of asking, you okay?

The girl on Mike's hips was talking to him, but he paid her no mind, waiting for some kind of answer from James. With a soft sigh, James managed a small nod, bringing his eyes over to where Kalen was, speaking with his father and a handful of other middle aged men, all of whom looked similar to one another. Uncles, James assumed.

Kalen was laughing at something being said, his eyes crinkling cutely, and James looked away to smile down at his hands, wondering for not the first time how someone so beautiful could be so interested in him.

"Hey," a soft voice cut into his thoughts and James raised his head quickly. Michel looked down at him, expression somewhere between concerned and weary. When James glanced back to where the boy had been standing moments before he noted that Mike's girlfriend was nowhere in sight. "Can I sit?"

For a moment, James blinked up at him, wondering if he should insist Mike go back to speaking to the guests, despite the fact that deep down he was happy to have some sort of company. "This is your couch," James pointed out. "I don't think I have the right to tell you if you can or can't sit".

"Well I don't know," Mike breathed, dropping down next to him and leaning back. He looked exhausted. "Maybe you're enjoying your alone time".

"I'm not going to lie and say I'm one hundred percent comfortable," James admitted, raising a hand to push it through his hair. Mike breathed out a long sigh in response to this.

"Kalen's kind of a big deal at these things since everyone loves him so much," he explained, sounding bored with the whole situation. "This is why we suggested Tyler come with you, but I clearly wasn't thinking straight at the time".

James thought back to that day, a week before, and the brightly colored drinks in each of the triplets hands. Then he asked, "what do you mean?"

"I mean," Mike began, leaning forward enough that he was able to peer at James face, "that your best friend went upstairs with my brother about twenty minutes ago, and I should have been expecting that".

"You know?" James asked under his breath and Mike smiled a little.

"Of course I do. I, unlike the rest of my brothers it seems, am not clueless".

"Why haven't you told the rest of them then?" James inquired. "Kalen said you couldn't keep secrets from the other two triples".

Michael laughed, and then said something in a different language to himself under his breath before admitting, "I share the secrets I want to with them".

James nodded in understanding at this, since it wasn't hard to guess out what secrets Mike might want to keep hidden from his brothers. Instead of mentioning this though, James asked, "what language was that?"

Michael's cornflower blue eyes widened slightly in surprise before crinkling in the corners as he smile. "It was french".

"You speak french?" James inquired, impressed.

"I do," Michael confirmed. "I love it, but my father only lets me because he thinks it'll be good for business one day. I'd really love to teach it though".

"Is that what you're going to go to school for?" Out of all the time James had spent talking to Mike, they had never discussed what the older boy planned to do in the future.

The question made Michael look sad, and James wondered if he had made a mistake by asking it. "Um, no. My father would never accept one of his children becoming a teacher," Mike explained, turning his face towards where Kalen and his father were still entertaining. James looked over there as well. "Our father likes to control us and force us to be a certain way".

Across the room, Kalen was currently saying something, his eyes flicking almost nervously up to his father every couple of seconds to make sure he was doing everything right. It was clear how much Kalen idolized his father, how badly he wanted to make him proud, and that had an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of James stomach.

"He's going to tell him," Michael claimed, and James turned his face quickly to look at the other boy. Mike wasn't looking back at him. Instead, he was staring ahead, his expression troubled. "Kalen hates keeping secrets. Lying to people isn't a part of his nature, and now that half of us know, he feels guilty for putting us in that situation as well. He's going to tell him soon, even if he has stopped talking about it. It's been on his mind".

James had suspected as much. Whenever him and Kalen were together and the other boy spaced out, a part of James just knew that's what his boyfriend was thinking about, but he never got up the courage to ask.

"What..." James trailed off, watching as Kalen laughed at something his father said, grinning wide. "What do you think will happen once he tells him?"

He looked away from his boyfriend then. It made him sad and nervous to watch Kalen laugh with the man that he loved so much, the man that James feared would be the one to break his boyfriend's heart by rejecting him.

Michael voiced similar concerns with a heavy sigh. "I think... I think he has the potential to lose everything".